A Different Shade of Blue
by Phoenix Ray
Summary: Krystal wasn't the only Cerinian survivor. As the young, stranded warrior named Cobalt survives on a hidden world, he will come into contact with forces beyond his wildest imaginations and his actions will come to affect all of Lylat. Set in Tobias Umbra's version of Lylat.
1. New World

**Many thanks to Tobias Umbra for allowing me to bring a character that I have worked quite a bit into his view of the Star Fox universe. I hope that I can enrich and bring to life his interpretation of Lylat as well as he does.**

**I hope also that you, the reader, enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed working on it.**

**Anyway.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxxxx**

Cerinia in the wet season is a dreary place, at least for some around the equator. Some others didn't mind the near constant rain as much, especially the elders, as they have grown used to it over their lifetimes. And the young Cerinian named Cobalt had always enjoyed this type of weather since it kept him cool in the normally hot daytime. The Cerinian in question was an aspiring young warrior who had earned his accolades in the fire of many duels and competitions. He was old enough to be an adult, but young enough to pass as an unblooded son who had never tasted combat. The latter was untrue of the average looking blue fox, with his short stature and bland muscle tone that always made the other warriors and females look down on him at times. But his stature held a hidden strength that all that had faced him testified to. And that was why his time had finally come, the time to earn his place as a Cerinian warrior. He was to travel to the stars, to places he had never even imagined before and make his name. Maybe one day he would return, but he was expected to make a life for himself elsewhere, so that he would not challenge the current leaders of the tribe.

The rain came pelting down on the young warrior as he closed his eyes and opened his mouth to let it fill with water; he was always keen on a free drink. He closed it again and swallowed the fresh, cool water, giving him a much needed refresher from his patient wait for the elder council of his tribe. By Cerinian terms he was past his time, 20 years old, but had not been given his chance to prove himself as a warrior due to his stature and seemingly weak nature. This never bothered his peers, they thought he was not a threat to challenge them, but it certainly bothered him. So he had fought hard for his honor and suffered through many learning experiences on his way to this moment, his right to be a blooded warrior of his tribe. The water that rained down from above pattered against his armor and provided a kind of music to his ears, the armor was passed down from one generation to another and it was a symbol of his new found status. The armor he wore consisted of a chestplate and small, from-conforming pauldrons that covered his shoulders. His legs were partly covered in metal pads and his ankles were enclosed in short anklets. He hoped he wouldn't have to wait much longer in the rain however, as he wished to be seen in his spotless armor.

His wait was soon over however as a group of older Cerinians emerged from the temple he was waiting outside of. The temple was a magnificent work of art that would have pleased any that had the luxury to gaze upon it for long. Its high, stone towers ascended to the skies, giving off the feeling of those that climbed them as getting closer to the heavens, getting closer to the Krazoa. There were five priests and priestess's in total in his tribe, three females and two males. They were a kind and wise bunch; in fact they had helped him greatly on his path to arrive at this moment.

The five of them descended down the cobble steps to the base of the temple where Cobalt stood tall and strong for all to see. Cobalt thought of maybe reading their minds, but this was seen as being rude in Cerinian culture and he thought better of it. One of the priests stepped forward with a covered bundle and handed it to the young fox; it was heavy and seemed to be a package of furs. Cobalt looked curiously to the priest but said nothing, only accepting the gift with a bow. Each priest in turn came forward with a gift to the young warrior, gifts that would help him on his journey. Gifts of food and water, along with clothing and supplies, one priestess anointed his head in ceremonial oil that was supposed to keep him safe.

Cobalt accepted all of these gifts with a reverent bow, until the real reason he had come arrived. The final priest stepped forward with a staff, but this was no normal staff. This was the staff of a warrior; at one end of this weapon was a large blade that came halfway down the hilt of the staff. At the other end was a large bulbous socket that held a red crystal. Cobalt knew of this weapon, he had forged it himself with the help of the priests. They had been blessing the weapon for the last three days, he was taught that his staff was an extension of his own body and it was to be treated as such. It was his prize possession now and he would have little chance of survival without it.

Cobalt got on his knees and held out his hands as the priest placed it firmly in his grip. He looked up at the priest and smiled before speaking in his native tongue.

"Thank you, father."

The priest helped him to his feet and embraced him with tears in his eyes.

"This is your moment son. Not mine. Take advantage of what you have earned here and make a name for yourself in the stars."

Cobalt released his father from his touch and proceeded to do the same with the other priests and priestess's, thanking them all for the help and gifts they had given him for his journey. But now was the time he had been waiting for, as the priests moved past him they came to a series of symbols and glyphs carved into the ground. It was a sacred area, with a center dial in the middle that was operated with the staff of a priest. As Cobalt's father stepped forward to the center of the dial, a crowd began to gather from the village nearby. Cerinians young and old came forward to say goodbye to the young warrior, even a few of his former competitors embraced him and wished him luck. It was a gratifying moment to him, a true symbol that he had earned his right to be a warrior.

Cobalt's father shushed the crowd as he raised his staff high in the air and began to chant in an ancient Cerinian dialect that was older than any of them could even remember. It was a song of both hope and sadness, for the warrior about to be sent to another world where he would probably never be seen again. The trip was a one way affair and Cobalt did not want to return anyway, he wanted a new life for himself, far away from the judgment of his peers and potential competitors. The older fox finished his song and slammed his staff into the center dial and with a giant clap that sounded like thunder, the dial began to move. With each movement it made, the symbols began to glow a bright blue until they came together to spell out a word in the Cerinian language: winter.

Now Cobalt understood why the elders had given him so many clothes, obviously the place he was going was quite cold. When the center dial reached its destination, a fire emerged from the staff and came to form a wide blue circle, just large enough to step through. The way was opened; his path to his new life lay before him.

Cobalt turned to his father one last time, as if to say something, maybe that he would miss him or that he loved him. But his father turned his back on his son with tears in his eyes, and motioned for him to step forward. Cobalt understood now why it was so difficult to do what he was about to do. He approached the glowing blue portal with a sense of dread, not knowing what awaited him on the other side. When he was about to step through, he turned back and took one last look at the place of his birth. It literally the last time he would ever see his home and friends again. After one long look of longing, he sighed and stepped through the portal, entering a world where his life would never be the same again.

**xxxxxxxx**

When Cobalt stepped through the portal, his sight went a pitch white and a feeling of inertia overcame him, his ears began to ring loudly, but not painfully. It was a strange experience for him as it was both uncomfortable and pleasant to travel this way. After only what seemed to be a couple of seconds, he suddenly found himself on solid ground. Or rather, he found himself colliding with solid ground. He quickly fell over into a soft, crunchy surface that was also extremely cold. Cobalt gasped when he felt the unusual feeling overcome him, everything around him was blindingly freezing as the very air around him seemed to cool his body. As his senses slowly returned to him, he wasted no time in cutting open the bundle of furs that the priests had given him. He didn't even bother to get a look at his surroundings as his only concern at the moment was staying warm. The freezing fox put on a layer of fur coat and pants, which he was quite unused to, and huddled in the snow to try and get his temperature up. It was then that he looked around at where he was, snow surrounded and engulfed him everywhere he looked. He was in a craggy ravine of some sort, with another one of the dials with the same glyphs surrounding it underneath him. The ravine funneled in the cold air that screamed its way through the ice covered rock and created a sort of wailing noise that he had never heard before in his life.

Cobalt got to his feet and pulled out his weapon from his pack to balance himself on it. After a quick look around at his surroundings, his survival instinct started to kick in. This ravine he was in was not a good shelter at all, if anything it made the inside of the canyon colder than it was on the outside. He quickly began to ascend up the slope that lead to the this new world's surface, each step was a struggle for him as the journey here had taken much of his normal strength and left him exhausted and lightheaded. It took him several minutes to ascend out of the shallow ravine and into a bright world of snow and ice.

Once he reached the top, he was greeted by a sight he did not expect. All around him were the ruins of shattered buildings and magnificent cathedrals that clearly once belonged to someone. He raised his staff in a defensive position, the ruins didn't look they had been inhabited for many years but he was not one to be careless. He descended down the slope and began to make his way towards the ruin, at the very least they might provide shelter from the bitter cold. He shivered greatly as he made his way forward, holding his pack of supplies close in an attempt to stay warm. The world around him was extremely bright, everything was coated in snow and ice and even the sky was a blank slate that covered the sun.

It took Cobalt over an hour to arrive at the ruins, they looked nothing like the temples back on Cerinia and he took a moment to examine them closely. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a clear crystal to look closer at an inscription written on the walls. Unfortunately it was written in a language that he had never seen before and had no hope of understanding.

_I wonder if there are any survivors still around._

"Hello?"

Cobalt spoke into the cold air with a tone of voice that was more than a little uncertain. He was in a foreign land now, and apparently people used to live here. But what concerned him what caused these ruins to be here in the first place. Clearly, something had wiped these people out and Cobalt hoped dearly that whatever had was not hanging around anymore. He decided that discretion was the better part of valor in this instance, maybe bringing attention to himself was not the smartest decision right now.

He wandered through the ruins for the better part of an hour, until he came to what looked like what once was a hall of some sort. A large, half opened door stood before him and he stuck his staff into the ajar doorway to pry it open. With a loud screeching noise that he desperately hoped wouldn't attract anything hostile, he stepped inside to a large room littered with debris from the ceiling. It was considerably warmer in here than it was outside and he placed his pack on the ground with a sigh of relief.

"At least I have some place to stay." He muttered to himself.

Even though he had found acceptable shelter, he still needed to know if he was safe in his current building. As he looked around the room for any holes that might need patching up with the fallen debris, he noticed another doorway in the corner of the room. He approached cautiously and opened it with his spear at the ready. He found it led to a small staircase that opened up to a tower of some sort. He ascended the stairs to find that the tower gave him a wonderful view point over the ruin proper. Off in the distance was a set of cliffs and canyons that seemed quite foreboding, harsh winter storms hovered over the cliffs and Cobalt made a mental note to avoid that area if he at all could. He had heard of similar storms on Cerinia, but they were far to the north of where Cobalt had lived and he had never seen them, much less borne the brunt of their fury like the northern tribes had. As he looked around, he noticed a group of large furred animals huddled together in a herd to the south of where he was. They were moving towards the ruins much as he had, clearly wanting to use them as shelter from the harsh winter.

He couldn't believe his luck. Without waiting to look around any longer, he ran back down the stairs and seized up his spear with both hands, leaving out the front door in a hurry. He didn't want to lose his chance at an opportunity for a meal. He ran quickly through the ruins, past mangled and destroyed buildings that impeded his progress ever so slightly. However he found that although the buildings proved shelter from the cold and shielded his advance on the approaching animals, they also impeded his own view. He decided to use one of the buildings as a vantage point and quickly ascended another of the black towers like the one at his new shelter.

He quickly and quietly as he could reached the top and stared out over the approaching herd, quickly formulating a plan. As the beasts began to get closer, he realized that an ambush may be his safest bet to snag a source of meat as several of the tall, massive and shaggy creatures had large tusks that looked bigger than his own body. He took several moments to observe their approach and determine where to lay his ambush. If the herd entered the ruins as a group, then they might be isolated and make for an easier kill. So he bid his time, patiently waiting for the herd to enter the ruins.

He didn't have to wait long as they apparently had the same idea about the cold as he did, quickly entering the ruins and beginning to graze on some of the small grass that persisted in the cold. The blue fox gently made his way down the stairs, taking care with his steps as he neared the bottom. He quietly peeked his head out the door to get a look at his prey, sure enough one of the smaller animals had gotten isolated from the rest of the group and was grazing on a larger patch of grass that persisted in the sun. He waited until its head was down and darted out the door as quickly as he could under the circumstances. He hid behind a piece of debris and peeked his out over the top, discovering that he was still hidden. Now was his chance.

As he made his way forward, moving from cover to cover with the cold wind covering his footsteps, he lost focus of what was around him. He came underneath a fallen tower with his staff ready, he was almost in throwing distance. But as he slowly began to stand up, staff ready to throw at his unsuspecting prey, he began to hear a growling noise behind him. He should have realized that he wasn't the only predator who was using the herd a source of food, but in his haste had forgotten some of the rules of hunting. On a dangerous planet, always check for predators.

"Remember my name spirits, for I may die today." He whispered under his breath, the fear in his voice was almost palpable.

He slowly turned around so that he would not incite whatever predator was behind him to attack and realized he was only about a few steps away from a large, maybe six or seven feet tall, predatory cat with large saber-like teeth. The cat had clearly been stalking the herd animal in front of them and might have been caught by surprise that it was not the only predator in the area. With Cobalt clearly imposing on its territory, it was keen on making him a meal. He knew he didn't have much time before it made up its mind to attack, so Cobalt decided to go on the offensive. Quickly raising his staff with the blade end forward, he rushed the cat with a bloodcurdling scream erupting from his throat. Caught by surprise with this attack, the cat growled menacingly as it retreated into a corner of the tower. Cobalt realized he had made another mistake as cornering the creature would only increase its likelihood to attack and ceased his advance. But the damage was done.

With a deafening roar, the cat seemed to sense his indecision and jumped forward to strike. Cobalt quickly turned tail and ran as fast as he could , doing his best to hold onto his staff as he ran. He barely avoided the swinging of the creatures massive clawed paw and used the buildings to cover his escape. He darted into and out of crushed structures in an attempt to avoid his new opponent, barely escaping its attacks as he did so. After what seemed like hours of running, but in reality was only a minute or two, he arrived into an open space right in front of the shelter he had chosen. It was a mistake that would nearly cost him his life, as the saber toothed cat quickly jumped onto his back, tearing into his pack of thick furs. Those furs saved his life as he was able to shake off the pack and escape into his shelter.

"Sacred spirits protect me..."

Outside, the cat seemed to think that he had a piece of Cobalt's flesh as it tore into it greedily. Suddenly, the sides had been switched and now Cobalt was cornered. He was now faced with a choice, he could either stay in his protective shelter and hide from his would be predator, or he could seize the initiative and attack while it was distracted. If he stayed in his shelter, he had limited food and water, not mention sources of light. The creature could easily wait him out, he was encroaching on its territory and it wanted him dead.

It was an easy choice for the young and headstrong Cerinian. With a final prayer for his safety to the Krazoan spirits, he lowered his spear and charged at the cat, this time staying quiet until the last moment in an attempt to catch it off guard. But when he was within striking distance, he let out a rage filled scream, unable to contain himself any longer. The creature looked up just in time to catch the bladed end of his staff in the eye.

The cat let go of the furs and reared up with another deafening roar as it screamed out its defiance to the young fox. His enemy was now wounded, but not defeated. Remembering what had got him through the rigorous training on his home planet, which was blind bravery, he attacked again, this time stabbing into its chest with the deadly vibroblade that was his staff. This time he hit something vital, as the creature tried desperately to get in a swing on its Cerinian attacker, blood gushing out of its chest. This time, the beast connected, its claws raking across the young fox's back as he tried to duck under its attack.

Cobalt let out a pained scream and fell to the ground, his spear underneath him. The saber toothed cat rolled around on the ground next to him in pain, clearly dying. Cobalt thought for a moment that he might join it in death as he lay on the ground, writhing in unbearable pain, the cats claws having cut straight through his fur protection. After lying there for several minutes, he picked himself of the ground with a growl. Filled with rage at his mistake and at his attacker, he grabbed his staff from the ground and moved to silence the roaring of his enemy. With one last look, the creature growled a pathetic whimper of a growl before Cobalt ran his staff through his mouth and into its brain, killing it instantly.

With his enemy dispatched, Cobalt left his staff in his foe and sat down on the ground to recover from the intense battle of survival he had just participated in.

"Thank you, whatever god is up there, thank you for another day."

Cobalt stood up from the displaced ground and walked gingerly into the hall that was his shelter from the cold. He dragged his pack in with him, inspecting it for the damage the predator had done. Most of the furs were tattered and torn beyond ever being used for clothing again, but he reasoned he could skin the creature for its own fur if he wanted. In fact, the fur being torn helped him somewhat as he now had ready made bandages ready to go. After taking off his shirt and armor, he tore up the already shattered fur into strips and began to dab at the cuts on his back in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He reached into his pack and took out a vial of yellow powder that he sprinkled on some of his fur bandages and applied them to his wounds. The yellow powder would help the cuts scar over and stop the bleeding faster.

Cobalt laughed to himself at getting himself into such a fight almost instantly and smiled at his new scars. Scars were seen as badges of honor among the warrior caste and he had certainly earned these. After fixing up his cuts and scratches he left his shelter to inspect his kill. The cat seemed even larger now that it was dead if that was at all possible. He walked up the beast and pulled his staff out of its mouth. He inspected the blade fro any damage and looked over the slain creature with a smile. The animal had fought well and he would honor it in his prayers for the night. He decided to take a trophy for his efforts and reached into its mouth with his staff and cut out one of its larger canines. He held up the razor sharp tooth to the sky after he cleaned the blood from it, marveling at the the animals killing power.

He suddenly realized how much time he had spent fighting as he realized it was getting dark. Even though he was wounded, he needed to drag the kill someplace safe so that other predators would not seize it in the night. After securing a safe location not far away, he began the long and painful process of dragging the kill to his hiding spot. He was lucky that it was not far at all as the creature was extremely heavy and put a lot of stress unto his already damaged back. After dumping the corpse into a secure tunnel, he closed the door behind him and headed back to his shelter. As he walked back on the soft snow, gingerly feeling his wounds as he did so, he noticed that the white haze that had covered the sky had now faded.

In its place was a beautiful yellow sun, the likes of which he had never seen before. He smiled at the beautiful sight and took a moment to gaze out over the horizon. When he was not fighting for his life, the planet had a serene beauty to it that was startling to see. Cobalt reasoned that perhaps this was his new purpose in life, to survive in spite of extreme hardship and in spite of the misgiving of his childhood friends. This was his home now, and he would be damned if he wouldn't make the best of it. He was hopeful then, and the sun in the far distance seemed to radiate that hope as well.

It was the end of one life for him, and the beginning of a bright new one tomorrow, with only the sun as his witness.

Cobalt didn't have much time to gaze at the sun however, and quickly returned to his new home wit the intent to bundle fro the night before it got too cold. He started a small fire with his little burner and gathered up what little debris there was the looked flammable. Feeding the fire with the debris, he ate a small meal of grains and other small vegetables plus dried meats that were included in his pack. It was not enough to properly refuel from a battle like he had just fought, but it was enough to help his body through the night. Some of the plants in his pack also served as painkillers with a side effect of being a sedative so it wasn't long before he was drifting off to sleep, the front door firmly secured to keep anything curious out The night however did not offer much solace to the young warrior, as upsetting dreams would plague his mind.

_For most of the Cerinian tribes, life near the equator, where the majority of the planet's population lived, was a busy affair. The majority of the males either hunted or kept watch over the other tribes, with the select few that earned the honor every year being sent off planet. This kept the population from having too many hotheaded males and keeping conflict and power struggles to a minimum. Cobalt was one such young warrior who hoped one day to earn the honor of being a wandering warrior, it was one of the most prestigious levels of Cerinian society, despite the fact that they were basically being cut of from said society. They knew that what they were doing helped maintain the peace and they were proud, if also sad, to do it._

_It had been a typical day in the village outside the massive temple where Cobalt's father had served. His father, named Vekta, had passed on his duties to a servant for the day, taking the day off to be with his son._

_For the young fox that day, he had been sparring with his father with wooden staves, a common tradition among father and son. His father was an honored priest, his mother a rare female hunter who was often busy keeping the peace. So he spent the majority of his time with his father and bonded with him quite deeply. He remembered asking him that day, after being soundly beaten by him in a mock duel, what the purpose of life was. The fact that he had been easily defeated in the duel did not bother him, his father wanted to prepare him the best he could fro the trials and that meant being as hard as he could._

_His father had smiled at him after patting him on the head, as a priest he had anticipated a question like this. He sat down with his son on the damp earth and motioned for his son to join him before speaking._

_"There are many reasons to live, and even more reasons to cherish said life. You may think that me, as a priest to the honored Krazoa, would tell you that honoring the spirits is more important than anything, and that is my purpose in life. But that is not true."_

_He leaned over and kissed his son's forehead and held him close._

_"My reason in life is to love others, to be loved, and to return that love unconditionally. Others may have different definitions on what the purpose of life is, but for me, its simple. Loving life itself is enough for this simple priest."_

_Cobalt had looked somewhat disappointed at his answer, especially knowing what path in life he wanted to take._

_"That does not mean that the path you desire in life is wrong. Because sometimes to protect the ones we love, we are forced to end life."_

_"So... I'm not wrong then? For wanting to be a warrior?"_

_"No. Not even close." Vekta hugged his son close reassuringly._

_"I pray for you son, every day."_

_"I pray for you father."_

_Vekta took his son by the hand to the base of the temple where the device known as the space dial was located. Cobalt had been here many times himself, dreaming of being a warrior sent through the gate to fight dastardly foes and evil soldiers in open battle, fighting for worthy causes. His father gazed at the many symbols that arrayed on the dial and spoke to his son in a lower tone._

_"If the day comes that you earn the right to be sent through this gate, then I will handle your ceremony myself. But promise me this: never take intelligent life easily or without cause. Murder is not the same as righteous killing in battle. Never forget that. Please, promise me that the innocent will not die by your hand."_

_"I promise. I wouldn't do that."_

_"The path of a warrior is winding and sloped, rage can overcome the heart and cloud the mind. Many warriors before you have claimed that they will not murder and many more after you will claim the same. It is not so easy."_

_Vekta looked to his son with a concerned and encouraging look, clearly not wanting to dissuade him from the path he wanted._

_"I believe in you son, I know that you can accomplish this. Just be careful."_

_It was a tender moment, a break from the constant harassment from his so called friends and peers who only wanted to weaken him for their own status. It was one of his most cherished memories as a child, the times spent sparring and learning from his father prepared him mentally and physically for the challenges that presented itself when he would stand for an opportunity to become a blooded warrior._

When Cobalt awoke, it was to the same bright yellow sun that he had seen the day before. He removed himself from his makeshift bed of furs and shook the dream from his mind. He missed his father for sure, but to give in to that memory would be his end in a harsh place like this.

He exited out through the front door with his staff at the ready, eager and hopeful that his kill from the day before was still hidden. His wounds did not feel nearly as bad as they did the day before, the yellow powder he had sprinkled on his wounds would help it heal quickly, far quicker than it ever could normally He was still sore and a little creaky in his shoulders but he would be fine.

After quickly inspecting his kill to ensure it as still there and not spoiled, he started a fire in the opening outside his door with fallen debris from the ruins around him. The cold winter around him would do well to keep the meat preserved so he was in no rush. He suddenly remembered his trophy from the day before and pulled the small saber tooth from his pouch in his fur clothing. After drilling a small hole in its top with a knife, he took a piece of string and ran it through the hole he had created, creating a necklace that he fastened around his neck. It was hist first real trophy from a kill and he wanted to remember his dangerous encounter for some time. After getting the fire going, he turned to the carcass and readied himself for the process of butchering the meat.

He had a long day ahead of him.

**xxxxxxx**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. The First Year

**Back again, im hoping to keep up a decent pace with updates in the foreseeable future.**

**Anyway.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxxxx**

That first few days spent living off that kill were the standard that would become his daily life on that frozen world. He learned to appreciate and be thankful for the kills that he was able to make in that first year. In his off time from hunting, foraging and melting ice for water, he explored the countryside. Never far enough that he might get lost, he always tried to keep the ruins in his line of sight at all times. But even that was not enough once, as one of his first expeditions into the wilderness proved to be nearly fatal.

He had been trekking up the mountainside towards the north in an attempt to see if anything edible grew in the higher altitudes. What he had not anticipated and there was no way he could have, was the brutal and sudden winter storms that could arrive at any moment and disappear just as fast. But this storm that caught him out in the open was not going anywhere fast as it seemed to rage for hours against his exposed body. He had tried to turn around and head back to the ruins below but found that the storm concealed the path below and scrambled all sense of direction and he was hopelessly lost, having no choice but to dig in and wait the storm out. He was lucky in that regard, as the storm passed in little more than an hour and he, shivering to the point that he might fall over and barely able to walk, ambled back to his makeshift shelter and a chance at a fire. It was a hard lesson learned. But one thing was clear as his strength slowly returned to his freezing body, something obvious about this solitary world.

A year is a long time to spend alone.

And so it was for the young warrior, living off what he could in the first year in the ruins. That first kill provided a good source of meat for some time and he was able to harvest bits of short grasses and roots that grew in some of the more sunny areas around the ruins proper The herd of mammoth-like creatures also frequently visited the ruins to stay warm in the night and to keep predators away, not knowing they were walking straight into his trap. Bits of fat and debris from the ruins themselves provided the fuel that kept a fire going at night and kept him warm. But the main thing he was lacking was companionship, it was a lonely time in that first year. Boredom set in pretty quickly and he came to regret coming here. He was supposed to be here to fight, and though hunting the mammoth's was indeed dangerous, it nothing like his first fight with the saber-tooth.

Time began to change the fox and he began to wear his furs underneath his ragtag armor that had seen better days. Soon, he was wearing the fur of his former foe as the saber tooth's fur was well suited to this kind of all year weather. He became so used to snow in that first year that he genuinely forgot what it was like to be hot, though the fur and a night fire kept him warm at times.

The weeks tuned to months and his loneliness deepened. Soon, for simple boredom's sake, he would begin to explore the ruins deeper trying to make sense of the people that used to live here and what happened to them. The wounds sustained on the buildings were large and gaping, as if the had been torn apart by some massive projectile. More words and inscriptions were found written on walls and in certain areas inside the buildings and towers. These phrases perplexed the young fox and left him wondering as to their purpose. Some of the words were burned into the walls, as if a last ditch effort at a warning, this left Cobalt feeling unsettled at times. Regardless, it appeared that whatever had wiped out these people was long gone.

But it was during one of these exploratory expeditions that he noticed that not all of the buildings were the same. While the majority seemed to be tall and at times unsound to stay in for long periods of time due to the damage, others were built lower into the ground and were in far better condition. They were almost like...bunkers. Were they military?

It took several days before Cobalt's boredom overcame his caution to explore these bunker-like structures. The majority of them were spaced together in the center of the ruins, with still standing roads that split off in the four corners of the ruins. The bunkers were centralized, with easy access to the rest of the former city. This discovery only put more credence to his theory that they were former military buildings. At first, even as lonely and as bored as he was, he was reluctant to go inside the structure but in the end he relented and approached the mangled door to one of the entrances. With his staff at the ready, he opened the rusted metal door with a sense of trepidation, clearly cautious.

"Anyone alive?" He asked in an almost joking tone, he knew the answer to his question.

He opened the door as wide as it would go wit the help of his staff and began to descend slowly down a series of steps that lead underground. Under any other circumstance, he would never dream of doing this but he was already here and was not about to turn back. Before he continued, he reached into his pack and pulled out the red crystal that belonged on the end of his staff and placed it into its socket. The soul stone, the crystal given to Cerinian warriors that defined who they were as a warrior. It powered the staff and allowed it to perform its other functions, though each stone was different and embodied the warrior who wielded it. In this case, his stone would provide light in the darkness below.

With his staff properly powered, it came to life with a low hum and then went silent again. But Cobalt could feel the power in his hands and the red light that it provided was now his only source of light. He came to the end of the low stairs to another metal door, which was easier to open than the first since it had not been exposed to the elements of constant winter. With this second door now opened, he entered into a large hall with a what looked like countless hangers on the walls, all empty. He inspected one of these hangers closely, finding they were large enough to fit his staff in. Realizing that they were weapon racks of some kind, he theorized that he was in a weapons bunker, now cleared out. Again, more evidence that these people had been attacked.

At the end of the bunker however was a person sized circle standing beside a horizontal box of some kind. He approached it after a quick inspection of the circle, finding nothing truly interesting about it. The box however, had a large screen of glass across its top He wondered for a moment and then he realized what it was, computer of some kind. He had heard of these devices but never operated one himself, some of the more northern tribes were rumored to have them and sometimes returning warriors would speak of them. He scratched his head as he tried to remember how to turn it on.

"Lets see here..."

As if on cue, without even touching it, the screen came to life as it glowed a bright blue, startling the young fox in the process. After a few moments of blue screen, it faded to white and a series of words began to flow across the screen, all in the language that was imprinted on the walls of the ruins outside. The language seemed to resemble a series of reverse letters but it wasn't from the Cerinian alphabet, though he could almost seem to make out a word here and there. But every time he thought he had it figured out he would realize that it wasn't what he thought it was and he ultimately gave up trying to understand what the computer was saying. He muttered a curse under his breath and started to turn back to the entrance when suddenly the words on the screen changed again. A single word appeared on the screen after a moment.

**Efka...**

Cobalt pondered the words meaning for a moment before the word changed again, and to his shock, into the Cerinian language.

**Translated. Welcome Cerinian.**

Cobalt stared at the screen in shock for several moments before laughing to himself at his good fortune. After waiting for a few moments more, the screen changed into what appeared to be a list of options.

**1. Weapons Holding Facility.**

**2. Library.**

**3. Command Center.**

Cobalt pondered what these options meant when he remembered what had turned the thing on in the first place. Words. He took a moment to decide and then spoke clearly to the device.

"Library."

Cobalt blinked, and by the time he had opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the bunker. He was caught completely by surprise with his change of scenery, raising his staff again in confusion. Where once before he was in a dark room only lit by the light of his staff and the computer screen, he was now in a massive hall of some sort that was well lit with many blue hanging lights on the walls and ceilings. Adorning the walls were racks upon racks of what appeared to be cases of some kind, these cases extended from the floor to the ceiling against the walls and in additional racks in the center of the room, all glowing a bright blue. The hall that he was in literally extended as far as the eye could see in either direction, alarming Cobalt as he now wondered if he could get out here.

He started to take a step forward to inspect the shiny glowing metal cases when a voice called out behind him.

**"Greetings Cerinian."**

Cobalt turned around as fast as he possibly could, throwing his staff into a defensive position before him, his stone ready for use. What floated in front of him was a metal circular object the like of which he had never seen. It was round with a silver metal coating that came to what looked like a giant glowing blue eye in the center that appeared to be sizing Cobalt up.

**"Do not be alarmed Cerinian, I mean you no harm."**

Cobalt was amazed that it spoke his language and stood there for what seemed like minutes completely unsure how to respond.

"...Hello?"

**"I am the curator of military outpost 047, under the designation 'Fury'. I must thank you for reactivating the instillation. I have been dormant for far too long in this cycle of years."**

"What are you?" Cobalt asked with his weapon still at the ready.

**"I apologize, my manners seem to have deteriorated over the years. I am an artificial intelligence in charge of the library of instillation 047, my designation or name is Alpha-Omega-7, but my creators chose to call me Fury for reasons unknown."**

"...My name is Cobalt." The blue fox wondered if giving his name to the AI was a good idea, but he really didn't understand the majority of what he was talking about anyway so he figured that if he were to escape this room, he might as well.

**"How very nice to meet a Cerinian, they had not arrived in this sector for long before the instillation went offline. I see that you have used the quick travel device, teleportation in your understanding of it. But what is important is that you understand my purpose and your situation."**

"My situation?" Cobalt felt that something was wrong.

**"Oh we don't have to get to that just yet, why not a simple tour? This is the library of my creators, a magnificent source of knowledge and understanding of many fields of study and research..."**

"Wait a second!" But it was too late, as Fury rambled on and on about various fields of science that were encased in his library. Cobalt tried to listen for several minutes but was quickly overwhelmed with the complexity of what he was speaking about and finally interrupted it by tapping its metal casing with his staff.

"Excuse me, what did you mean my 'situation'?"

Fury wheeled around and spoke as if it were a matter of fact that he could not change.

**"As I said before, this is my domain. And with the instillation back under my control, thanks to you, I now have full control of all previous functions that are still operable. That includes the exits."**

As if on cue, a loud slamming was heard at either end of the hallway in the distance. Cobalt realized he was now trapped in the room. His first instinct was to swing at the hovering machine with his staff, but after a second thought, he reasoned that it would do him no good to harm Fury, even if he could. If the AI was his only way out of here, then destroying it would accomplish nothing.

Cobalt sighed and held his hands up in defeat. "Fine. What do you want?"

**"This body that I inhabit is slowly deteriorating. My power cells were not meant to be in use this long, it is only by sacrificing numerous systems throughout the facility that I have persisted this long. I offer you a deal, provide for me a new vessel for me to continue my existence and I will allow you to leave this room and the facility itself."**

"Vessel? What do you mean?"

**"In order for me to remain operational, I require a substantial source of sustainable energy. Where this energy comes from is not important, what is important is that it is sustainable."**

"And where would I find a source of sustainable energy? If I agreed to your deal?"

**"Oh, I think you can figure it out. You only have to look a little...inside yourself."**

Cobalt realized what he meant and was instantly wary. "You're joking."

**"I'm programmed with a few jokes but I don't think you would understand heir humor, having been picked up from my creators. Your very heartbeat would be viable source of energy for me to sustain my existence."**

"Even if i was crazy enough to agree, how? How exactly are you going to...be inside me?"

**"A simple and painless surgical procedure to install a neural interface. I can assure you, I am the one on the short end of the stick here, so to speak. After all, I am proposing to put my existence in your hands. If you were to die, so would I. Without your life essence providing my cells with energy, I would fade as quickly as you would."**

"So you ambush me and corner me into an offer I cant refuse."

**"In a manner of speaking."**

Cobalt sighed and fell to the ground, unsure of what to do. After thinking it over for several minutes, he decided to wait Fury out as he glared his defiance to the floating machine.

"I refuse. I'm not going to let you inside my head. Spirits be damned."

**"Very well. I have activated a distress beacon that I am quite confident can lure someone else to this facility. If you will not be my host, then I will find another."**

Cobalt ignored the AI, thinking that he was bluffing. This was not a concern for Fury, as he went about his duties among the library, continuing the process of checking on and categorizing the near limitless amount of information. Cobalt quickly realized that this was a battle he couldn't win. This machine, though dying, didn't have to eat like he did and if he really had a distress call of some kind, then he was more than happy to find someone else to get him out of there. He still waited for several more hours, even listening to Fury ramble on about various scientific fields that he was studying in the library.

With a final sigh, he relented. "To hell with you, but lets get this over with."

Fury practically jumped into the air in apparent joy. **"Excellent! I can assure you that this is a most wise decision. If you would follow me please."**

Cobalt did as he was ordered and reluctantly followed the AI out of the library and down a other well lit, but devoid of life hallway, his staff at the ready in case of betrayal. Though he wondered what the point of simply killing him would be now, if he wanted to do that he would have done so already. They traveled down and up staircases and empty hallways, all seemingly the same. Cobalt passed the time by conversing with his soon to be biological partner.

"How long have you been here? How long has this base been here? What is this place?"

Fury answered his questions in order. **"Over time, the majority of my memory banks have become corrupted. I may be able to judge the time lapse if I could get an estimate from a nearby star. As my memory banks have been corrupted, I also cannot say when this facility was constructed. However, I have been able to derive from the library itself the purpose of similar facilities to this one, and its function may be understood from this information."**

"And?"

**"Records indicate that facilities of similar size and personnel usually have the purpose of early warning outposts, with the specific use of warning the colonies of my creators."**

"So this was a military base..."

They soon arrived at their destination, interrupting Cobalt's thoughts and reminding himself of the situation that he has placed himself in. In the room they had just entered was a cushioned table with many mechanical devices hanging from the ceiling above that were stationed just above the table. Cobalt quickly regretted his decision and was afraid of what the AI had in store for him. Seemingly sensing his fear, if that was at all possible, the floating machine spoke in a soothing tone.

**"I can assure you that the procedure is completely painless. If you would lay down upon the table, we can finish this as quickly as possible and we can be on our way."**

Cobalt did as instructed and laid down with his staff in hand, trying to get all the moral support he could. One of the mechanical arms descended from the ceiling and injected his arm with a vial of green liquid, it was a stinging affair and the blue fox yelled out in pain once the injection was finished.

"Son of a bitch!"

**"Lie back Cobalt, this will be over quickly."**

Cobalt muttered another curse under his breath but did as he was told, he could already feel himself becoming numb and his senses became slurred. After no more than a minute or two, he fell asleep and knew no more.

But sleep only meant one thing, the return of the dreams. Only this dream was not a dream of longing or regret, this was one of victory.

_That day had been a beautiful one for the tribe that called the rain forests of the equator home. They were one of the largest tribes on the planet and loved to display their power and strength. So to celebrate the selecting of a new warrior to be sent to the stars, a grand festival had been thrown, with many tribes from around the globe being invited. And this is where Cobalt's finest hour would take place._

_The arena in the center of the temple where his father served was a massive affair, with dual spiked gates at either end of the floor of the coliseum. Above the floor, were rows upon rows of filled bleachers packed to the bursting point with cheering Cerinian people eager to see a new warrior chosen. Cobalt was one of the final competitors and part of the main event. He had fought hard in the many duels that day and had arrived in the final competition to decide a new victor._

_He was dressed in armor that was far less practical than the soldier armor that he had been practicing with in his training, but the lessened weight gave him even more of a speed advantage than he already had. At his call, he advanced into the center of the arena where he saluted the crowd with his staff, eager to please and succeed. After enjoying the crowd's accolades for a few moments, he turned to face his challenger who received even more cheers than he had._

_He knew this warrior, he was a childhood friend and was heavily favored against him, he was much stronger and maybe even faster than he was. But still, if he was to lose here today, it would be to an honored friend as this warrior had earned that distinction of being a genuine companion of his. The older, stronger warrior saluted the young fox._

_"I'm glad that its you I'm facing. I would rather not face someone of lower caliber."_

_Cobalt smiled and his compliment and returned the salute._

_"To you as well Jahk. Lets hope no one dies today."_

_"Of course."_

_Their exchange completed, one of the ushers in the crowd rang a large bell with a hammer and the match began. _

_For the opening moments of the duel, the pair spent precious time sizing each other up with exploratory thrusts and strikes at each others defenses. Knowing that the odds were against him, Cobalt decided to be the one to make the first real blow. With a quick forward thrust that caught his competitor off guard, he ducked under the return strike to deliver a blow to the head with the blunt end of his staff but caught only the blade of his opponent. Jahk wasted no time in seizing his oppritunity and yanked the staff from Cobalt's hands._

_A whistle blew, the first round over._

_Cobalt grimaced as he picked himself off the ground and seized his staff in his hands. The two warriors saluted each other again and then the bell rang for a second time, the second round had started as quickly as the first one had ended. This time it was Jahk who took the initiative, thinking that Cobalt might be reeling from his previous defeat. This was not the case as he ran headlong into the young fox's ready defense, quickly catching the blade of his attacker in a stalemate before releasing it. With his forward momentum, this carried Jahk face first unto the ground allowing Cobalt to place the blade against the back of his neck. _

_The whistle blew again, this time for victory in his favor. The crowd grew deathly silent, eager to see a victor emerge from the battle. And for the final time, the usher rang the bell, the final round started._

_Knowing that this was their last chance for victory, each warrior took his time to size up his foe and formulate a plan. In such close encounters, it was important to not charge in blindly. But cobalt was ready for this moment and had prepared long, studying the styles of his potential opponents to perhaps gain an edge. So he seized what he learned about Jahk and that despite his strength, tended to be weaker the closer he got to him. Swinging to catch him with a downward blow, he came down with his weapon to collide with the blade of his foe. Jahk had been ready for his attack and wasted no time in swinging up his knee to crack his ribs. But Cobalt was observant and countered by doing something extremely drastic and some would say foolish._

_He dropped his staff completely, dodging out of the way of his kick and immediately countering with a punch to Jahk's face. The brazen move was stunning for all that witnessed it and shocking to Jahk, who was caught completely by surprise. With a swift blow to the head and another to his nose, Jahk fell to the ground with a huff, dropping his staff to the ground. _

_And for the final time, the whistle blew._

_Cobalt stood staring at his opponent for several moments before he realized that everyone was cheering. The tribal leader and the priests descended from the audience and approached the young fox. Cobalt couldn't believe that he had actually won, it didn't really hit him until Jahk got to his feet and saluted him with his staff, one hand covering his bloody nose. Nevertheless there was a smile on his face as he congratulated his opponent._

_"You always were unorthodox. Congratulations. You deserve this."_

_Jahk patted him on the shoulder and stepped back for the tribal leader and the priests. His father pushed through his companions and embraced his son with a tears in his eyes, reveling in his victory. For him, this was validation in all the struggles of his childhood. Where once he had been laughed at and insulted, now he was the champion of the hour._

But the pleasant dream was not lasting for the warrior, as he slowly started to return to reality. And when he did, it was to a singular and overwhelming sensation.

Pain.

**xxxxxxx**

**Thanks for reading folks!**


	3. Expanding Horizons

**Very key chapter here, hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Also, I want to apologize for my absence, ive had major computer problems that have prevented me from writing this chapter. But I think the majority of my probelms are behind me soooo, on to the story.**

**Anyway.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxxxx**

To most people, pain is something that is temporary and far from crippling. To most people, the pain they feel is little more than a nuisance, a brief obstacle that is easily tackled with modern medicine.

That is a far cry from the immense suffering that Cobalt awoke to. At first his senses returned slowly, the effects of the sedative still lingering. But as he gathered himself and the medication faded, the back of his head began to burn with immense pain. His head and upper neck all felt extremely sore and it felt like someone had drilled a hole in his head, which was not far from the truth.

Cobalt pulled himself up and screamed into the empty hallway, yelling out his initial wave of pain. Once that faded, he suddenly began to return to normal feeling. He laid back down with a sigh, but as he lay his head upon the table, he felt something metallic just above the top of his spinal cord. He slowly reached back in horror to feel the metal device implanted into his head, gingerly feeling over the tiny and rectangular slit that now existed there.

"What have you done to me..."

Cobalt pulled himself up again and looked around the room, the lights were now off and the silver and round body that Fury had inhabited now sat upon a table, inactive and no longer glowing. This confused the young fox for a moment, wondering if something had gone wrong, almost sending him into a panic for a second. But as if his feelings could be sensed, a voice suddenly spoke in his head, speaking in an elderly male tone of voice.

**"No need to be alarmed, everything went smoothly. Well, of course it did! I did it."**

Cobalt started to look around the room for a moment but stopped himself as he realized that the voice was in his head.

"So...you're inside me now." Cobalt wasn't so sure he didn't regret his decision.

**"In a manner of speaking, yes. Like I said, everything went splendidly, the neural interface was installed with minimal resistance and it appears to have integrated into your nervous system quite well."**

Cobalt stood up from the table with a groan and rubbed his head gingerly.

"Why did the pain fade so quickly?"

**"That would be the sedative that was injected into your system, its a surgical strength version that has a secondary release that deals with later pain and soreness."**

"I see. Well, thank you."

**"No problem, and I must say, its quite comfy in here."**

"So what exactly can you do? Can you see what I see?" Cobalt waved his hand in front of his eyes to test this.

**"Yes, I can see your hand clearly. Thank you for that, I was going to run a test anyway to determine if the device was functioning properly."**

"What exactly is it?"

**"Its a surgically implanted omni-sense neural interface that allows for AI's such as me to interact directly with your brain function."**

"So you can...feel what I feel? See what I see?"

**"Yes. And I can assure you there are many benefits to having an AI such as myself within your consciousness."**

Cobalt stretched for a moment as he worked the sedative out of his system and looked himself over to make sure everything was still there.

_So what now?_

**"That's an excellent question, but I may have a suggestion that might please you."**

Cobalt was taken aback at Fury knowing what he had thought and muttered something under his breath at the apparent loss of his privacy.

**"There's no need to curse."**

The blue fox ignored the statement and cut straight to what he had said earlier.

"What was your suggestion?"

**"Why don't we return to the library and we can discuss it."**

Cobalt mentally agreed and began to retrace his steps to where he had come from, all the while following the directions from his new AI partner. As they slowly returned to the library, Fury outlined his plan.

**"You see, neural interface has more functions than simply housing an AI. It can also allow me to interface with information directly, and share that information with you."**

"What does that mean?"

**"It means that you can learn the same way I do. Unlike living creatures, which learn through repetition and practice of concepts, I learn by simply interacting with the information directly. And as I am tied to the learning part of your brain, you can learn this same way."**

"So I can learn things...quickly?"

**"Try instantly."**

The idea of learning advanced concepts with the snap of a finger was a bit intimidating to Cobalt but at the same time exciting. Not many in his race had the chance to interact with foreign technology and now he was given the opportunity to learn things that many in his race would never dream to know of. After several minutes of walking, Cobalt arrived back at the massive library. It was now devoid of light and function since Fury no longer had access to his base power supply. Cobalt approached one of the racks of the formerly glowing metal cases and held up the crystal half of his staff for light.

**"With the power supply offline, I can no longer access the library network remotely. You will have to plug in manually."  
**

Cobalt eyed a series of cords with circular ends plugged into each case, he reached down and grabbed one tentatively, clearly unsure how to proceed.

**"Yes, that's what you need. Insert the cord into the neural interface. Now, normally this would be a very dangerous idea as the sheer amount of information would overload your brain and could be fatal. I, however, shall contain the information for you and only allow through what you choose."**

Cobalt nodded and eyed the cord up with a sigh. If this was dangerous, then he was more or less placing his life in the hands of a program. This was something that unnerved him a bit but in the words of a famous Cerinian poet: 'The bold gain while the fearful hide'."

He sat down on the ground and picked up a cord from one of the bottom racks, gathering up his courage and inserting the cord into the slot in his implant above his spine. For a moment nothing happened, but then his eyes rolled back into his head for a moment before he caught himself. Suddenly, he felt very strange and lightheaded before Fury spoke again.

**"Lets see here, what marvelous knowledge shall we gain access to this time? Why don't we expand your horizons a little to start** **with?"**

With a sudden stinging sensation Cobalt blinked and realized things he had never imagined before. Images and ideas flashed through his mind as if he had known them his entire life. His mouth hung open and he smiled from ear to ear.

"I know warp physics."

Cobalt now knew things that only a few seconds before were as foreign to him as anything and one thing was clear, he wanted more.

**"Now now, lets not get ahead of ourselves. There is only so much the brain can handle. I don't want to blow your mind too much. But still, we can have a little fun with this."**

The next few hours were spent scanning, learning and deleting information that Cobalt had never imagined in his wildest dreams. Concepts such as physics and astronomy passed through his mind, only to be replaced with more practical ideas such as basics of space flight and culture studies. It was an exciting moment for him as the pursuit of such easy to attain knowledge was addicting, it might as well have been a drug to him and this was his first real taste. And just as quickly as he had dived headfirst into this limitless pool of information, he backed out with clear caution. Something was not right, Fury was making this a little too easy for him. He took his time in looking over the information already in his head and made sure not to think aloud his gut feeling.

Still, as if reading his thoughts, Fury began to speak to him directly. **"I wonder, if you would allow me a favor?"**

"What kind of favor?" Cobalt asked, a bit unnerved.

Fury seemingly understood his feeling about the situation. **"You don't trust me."**

"Why would I? You trapped me in here and demanded to stick yourself in my fucking head. I have no choice in this at all, and I still dont know what you really want."

**"I have already informed you what I want, which is off this planet. As for you, it is only fair that you benefit from my presence and learn a little something about the ins and outs of a modern society."**

Cobalt said no more as he looked around the library in aspiration. "Whats the favor?"

**"There is information here that not even I can access, but with your input, the security may be broken."**

"Why is it locked?"

**"Standard protocol. Even the librarian is not allowed access to governmental information and projects. I want them."**

"Why?"

**"That is none of your concern."**

"Fuck you. Im not helping you into things you weren't meant to see."

**"Very well. That is your choice. But ask yourself, what are you missing by not helping me? What do you not stand to gain by standing idle?"**

Cobalt gritted his teeth for a few moments as he contemplated his words. What did he have up his sleeve?

"Fine. But don't download anything I couldn't use."

**"Of course."**

Cobalt walked over to a rack in the center of the room per Fury's instructions and plugged himself in. There was a few moments of silence and blank feelings as Fury kept his word and did not allow any information into his head, but suddenly there was an impasse. His mind suddenly understood a star map of some kind, but it was strange in a sense that it had no features, only multi-colored certain paths that branched out in every direction, touching every planet and system.

**"I see. You cant help me."**

"What was that?" Cobalt asked as he unplugged from the center console.

**"It doesn't matter, it cant be accessed by you anyway."**

"You didn't answer my question."

**"And that is a question that I will not answer."**

Cobalt groaned audibly. "We aren't going to get very far by keeping secrets from each other. As impossible as that seems with you in my head."

**"I can assure you that this is the only thing about myself and this library that is confidential."**

"Fine, fine. Lets just get out of here. I'm starving and I bet you don't want me to die just yet, do you?"

**"Oh please. There's no need to be snide. This is the beginning of a wonderful symbiosis!"**

Cobalt ignored the voice in his head and proceeded to exit out the large, now unlocked, doors that had been previously sealed shut by Fury. Given that the teleportation system was now offline due to the power loss, he was forced to hoof it all the way back to the top, guided by Fury's directions. As they made their way to the top, the young fox took the opportunity to ask a few questions about his new companion.

"So, who exactly made you?" Cobalt asked as he held out his staff for light.

**"Much about my creators has been hidden from me for safety reasons, and much of that said information I can assure you is locked away in that vault. Their name for themselves is incomprehensible in most languages so I wont bother you trying to pronounce it."**

"But what did they do? Why make you?"

**"My creators were scientists and visionaries that loved knowledge and the advancement of the mind dearly, they did not care for power or military endevours beyond their own defense."**

There was a moment of silence as Fury seemed to consider his next words carefully.

**"I was created with that mindset in forefront of my design, I am the caretaker of the library of this instillation. But now that my purpose has been fulfilled and now rendered no longer functional, I am free to do as I please. I expect that I was not expected to survive the library falling into disuse but it seems I have been given a second lease on life, thanks to you."**

Cobalt nodded his head as they neared the surface again, after about a twenty minute walk he had arrived back at the dark bunker he had first entered the facility through. With his staff providing light until he reached the barely open door, he pulled it open with the base of his staff and peered out into the now night sky. Cobalt realized he had been out for at least a day, it had been early morning when he had first set out to explore his surroundings.

He made his way back across the now freezing ruins to where his shelter was, wishing dearly that he had brought and extra coat with him. He made a mental note to try to plan for the unexpected in the future should he decide to leave his shelter for some time again.

**"How nice, you seem to have an excellent understanding of survival techniques. Well done."**

The blue fox muttered under his breath as he started a fire with some flint from his pack and once a decent bit of flame had been started using some of the debris around him, he fed the small fire bits of animal fat that kept it going. Once satisfied, he pulled up his blanket of furs and settled in for the night. The ordeal in the facility below had left him quite drowsy, no doubt an effect of the sedative and painkillers that kept him from being in deep pain. After laying his head down on a makeshift pillow fashioned by filling his pack with furs, a sudden thought occurred to him.

"You said that you are tied to my body functions as long as you are hooked into the neural interface, how much so?"

**"Well, to give a valid example, if you were to sleep, I would still maintain all my functions and be able to access your mind. But since your senses would be severely weakened, so would mine. If you cannot see, neither can I."**

"I see."

Cobalt sighed to himself at the thought of his new mental companion, he would make the best of it despite his misgivings about basically being forced into this situation. He may not have had a choice in the matter, but he would grow stronger from this. And so he slowly drifted off to sleep, guided by the dreams of his home and the family that he had loved so dearly.

**xxxxxxx**

**6 months later.**

Time passed slowly for the blue fox. So slow it seemed to be almost a crawl at times. But at least he had company now, even if it wasnt his choice. To his credit, Fury kept his mind stimulated and did his best to provide conversation to the increasingly lonely fox. Those six months passed without much of a change in his daily routine, which itself frustrated Cobalt. Cerinian warriors were supposed to seek a real life of glory and adventure in the stars, and he had only found loneliness and hunting. The only break he had from the constant snow and ice of the outside world was his explorations of the facility he had made his new home. Cobalt knew quite a bit about the different functions of some of the buildings thanks to Fury's counsel combined with the teachings of the library. In many ways, he could deduce more about the facilities purpose than Fury could, given his limited memory.

But it was one particular exploration that changed his life on the frozen world forever, thanks in part to his own curiosity. During one of his expeditions into the labryinths below, he came to the same place where Fury had been implanted into his life, the medical bay of sorts.

"How many rooms are there?" Cobalt asked as he came to a crossroads that split off into the darkness, the only light the crystal at the end of his staff.

**"I cannot say, the layout of the facility itself has been restricted from me. You know this."**

Cobalt chose a hallway at random and walked down the long, featureless path until he came to a single silver door at the end. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before asking a question of his mental companion.

"Maybe, but you do have access to security breaking programs dont you?"

**"To a degree. Nothing too extravagant, and certainly nothing that can break the seals in library. What do you have in mind?"**

"Can you unlock this door?"

After a few moments silence, the door beeped with blue lights and swished open. To both their surprise, lights came on with a click and illuminated a somewhat small room filled with cylinder shaped tanks full of light blue liquid. The walls were the same plain silvery white, with many cords and tubes pumping liquid into the tanks.

"Emergency power of some kind? But why here?" Cobalt asked to himself.

As Cobalt entered the middle of the room, he had his answer, as one of the tanks was not vacant. Inside was appeared to be a single black feline, curled up in a fetal position. As Cobalt approached he could see that the feline was female and that she was not a normal cat. Her ears appeared to be glowing with red lights that outlined the edges of her ears, and her paw pads glowed a bright red.

"What can you tell me about this?" Cobalt spoke in almost a whisper, fascinated by the feline within.

**"Well, obviously the feline has undergone extensive cybernetic impantation, far more than your own. How much exactly I can not tell just from looking. But there are several curiosities about this section of the facility. As I said my knowledge of the base is limited, it was a bit of luck that I even knew about this medical section even existing. But even this small section is not located on the map of the base we located in the library. That and combined with its apparrent own backup supply source, and it appears this room is of some importance to my creators."**

"..."

Cobalt thought to himself for a few moments, considering the female within. If this part of the base had its own emergency power, then she must be important. And if she was important, then she might be able to tell a little bit about what happened to the base.

"I'm letting her out."

**"I wouldnt do that."**

"Why not? Its not exactly like we do anything else on this hell-hole. Besides, she may be able to tell us what happened."

**"I know what youre thinking. Its not like I can stop you, but do be careful. There's two of us in here, remember?"**

Cobalt's immediate problem was that he did not know what function would release the girl. A single console was centered about chest height for the young fox and was covered in the same holographic symbols that he had seen througout the base. He had examined some of them before and had not been able to make heads or tails of them. But he did remember the same button that had brought him into the library and that button was present on the console. Throwing caution to the winds, he pressed it.

For a few moments nothing happened. Then slowly, the girls eyes opened. Her bright pupils shined red and she blinked several times as she seemed to examine the blue fox. She uncoiled herself from her fetal position and sank to the bottom of the tank. She stood on her own two feet, despite the apparent bouyancy of the liquid that contained her. For what seemed to be hours they locked eyes and seemed to be sizing each other up, and then she reached up with a single red padded hand and touched the glass.

The glass shattered.


End file.
